The Dark Side of Light
by Coconut Girl
Summary: This is the third and final story in my Forget Me Not series. Six months after the events at the Ministry, all is not well.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: To reiterate the summary, this is the third and final story in my "Forget Me Not" series. Six months after the events at the Ministry, all is not well. Draco and Hermione's friendship has suffered some major setbacks as their memories return fully to them; Ron's recovery is slow, frustrating him to no end; Harry has pushed Ginny away once again; and a mysterious faction is working to end Arthur's time as Minister of Magic.**

**  
**Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter in any way, shape, or form.

Chapter 1

Normally, this walk would be spent excitedly dissecting what they had learned, what they had seen, and what they had achieved. It was their time to escape the problems plaguing the now rocky friendship, and revel in their discoveries, quietly remembering what it was like to be happy together. But on this late November afternoon, Draco and Hermione's course remained silent fraught with tension, guilt, anger, and even fear.

It had been a full five months since they'd started their magical re-education, beginning with the most rudimentary of knowledge and proceeding to where they found themselves now.

This particular session with Harry had been emotionally traumatic. Today was their first attempt at dueling, and things had gone from bad to worse. _It_ had happened because she was still angry over their horrible row from that morning.

The whole fight came flooding back to Hermione, making her cringe at how dreadful she'd been.

----------

"_You are not doing it right. Why can't you actually listen to what I'm saying, and do it the way I asked you to?" Her tone was biting and cruel._

"_I _am_ doing it the way you asked me to. You've only just screamed it at me eight times. How else should I sweep a bloody floor? Please tell me what I'm doing wrong." Draco snarled facetiously._

"_You're flicking it everywhere. What's the point of doing the job if you're only going to cause more of a mess in the process? Do you purposely ignore my instructions?"_

"_Bloody hell Hermione, do you even hear yourself? Listen to your tone. Do you realize how incompetent you're making me feel? I can't even sweep a sodding floor without you making me feel like shit about it."_

"_Well, if you'd only listen to me in the first place…"_

"_I _was_ listening. When I try to be careful and not flick it everywhere as you so aptly put it, you tell me I'm taking too long. When I try to speed up a bit, you shriek that I'm making more of a mess. So, as you can see I _am_ listening."_

_Rolling her eyes, she mumbled, "Of course you are." Her disbelieving tone belying her words._

"_I AM!!!" He screamed. "Listen, if I'm so bloody pathetic then you do it!" He shoved the broom at her._

"_Fine, but If you just do it like this…" She started to demonstrate haughtily. "Don't flick the broom. Just quick even brushes."_

"_You didn't say that before!!!" He wailed in frustration._

"_Well, that's what I meant." She stood straighter awkwardly clutching the broom._

"_Oh, what you meant. And I'm supposed to read your bloody mind, am I? I'm supposed to be a fucking psychic. Just like I'm supposed to know that you still hate me for …"_

_At that, he cut himself off. They stared at each other blankly for an excruciating stretch of silence._

_Finally having had enough, Draco stormed from the room leaving Hermione stunned in his wake._

----------

After much cajoling all those months ago, she had been adamant that they should stay together after their release from St. Mungo's, and he had reluctantly agreed. But now… now she wasn't so sure. They were constantly niggling at each other with little biting asinine comments. Her more than him, but he wasn't completely innocent either.

A sniff from beside her drew Hermione out of her thoughts. She glanced briefly to her right to find Draco's eyes set firmly forward watery from what she hoped was the chill in the air, but guilt was wracking her heart. She knew without a doubt that she had placed those tears in his eyes.

It was a terrifying prospect, but she couldn't deny her actions in class today could very well put an end to their already precarious friendship. It was heartbreaking to know she would be the cause of losing her only family.

Why had she attacked him? Why had she cursed him with a hex they hadn't yet learned the counter for? Yes, she was still angry with him for the row, or rather for what he had implied by his last comment, but it didn't warrant her hitting him with Petrificus Totalus.

Thankfully, Harry had rushed between them and stood in front of Draco protectively before performing the counter. Once freed, Draco had understandably scrambled away from her in fear and distrust, and glared at her with such menace it made her shudder.

But it was the look of utter shock and disappointment on Harry's face that did her in. He had ended the lesson immediately, and with a curt, quiet manner dismissed them.

It had been more than just a fight that morning. It wasn't about the bloody sweeping. There was so much more to it. She still blamed him for her parents' death and was holding it over him like an executioner with the ax ready to swing. It was darkly imbued into every one of their arguments.

Suddenly, Hermione felt a hand on her forearm stopping her progress, and she turned to find Draco facing her looking everywhere but into her eyes.

He cleared his throat loudly, and cast his eyes about searching for something… maybe courage… maybe resolve. This was it. He was ending their friendship. Hermione could feel the bile rising in her throat and the tears stinging her eyes. What else did she expect? He was completely within his rights. She was absolutely horrible to him on a regular basis, and now she had even assaulted him. She steeled herself for what she knew was about to come.

He softly cleared his throat again and focused his gaze on her forehead.

'_He can't even meet my eyes.'_ Hermione silently lamented.

"Before we go in there…" He started before taking another shaky breath. "I just wanted to say… let's not tell them what happened, Ron and Ginny." He looked down and around before dropping his hand from her arm. "We can talk about it later… back at the flat… or with Parvati if you prefer. They'll probably hear it from Harry anyway. Let's just have a pleasant lunch, yeah?"

Hermione looked around confused. Were they already at 'The Three Broomsticks'? She felt slightly lost and a little disoriented. They were standing right in front of the place. How did they arrive so quickly? Was she that distracted by her thoughts? What else had she missed during their walk?

"Yeah… yeah, that sounds like a… yeah." She mumbled.

He began to move to the door, but wringing her hands, she called to him. "Draco, I'm… I'm really sorry for today… for everything." She swallowed hard to keep the tremour from reaching her voice.

"I know." He sighed, the faint smile on his lips not quite reaching his eyes. "You always are," he muttered as he turned back to open the door and move on through.

Hermione squeezed her eyes shut and willed the tears not to fall. Why couldn't she just let this go? She was losing him.

----------

Draco stalked through the door engulfed in an air of dejection. Upon seeing the looks of concern marring both Ron and Ginny's faces, he quickly realized he'd done a right shoddy job of concealing his upset. He glanced back at Hermione to find a look of remorse and utter despair plaguing her features. They were quite the pair. Couldn't hide a thing if they tried.

As Hermione sullenly slid in next to Ron, he quickly wrapped his arm around her shoulder pulling her easily to him. Her head found its way into the crook of his neck, and she didn't fight being enveloped in his protective embrace.

Ron looked up from Hermione's huddled form into Draco's eyes, and mouthed. "Are you two all right?"

Leave it to Ron not to blame either of them for whatever had gone wrong. It showed just how aware he was of their decaying situation.

Draco couldn't handle it. He gave an elusive wag of his head, which was neither a shake nor a nod, and then excused himself to the loo. He needed a moment to collect himself. Perhaps Hermione would explain what had happened saving him the torture of having to see their initial reactions and pitying expressions. The only thing he knew was that he didn't want to be there.

As he fled to the back of the bar, he glanced over his shoulder only to find Hermione in tears frantically babbling while Ginny stared at her in wide-eyed mortification. Ron had his elbow leaned on the table with his forehead pressed into his hand, and his eyes firmly closed.

That was enough to have Draco quickening his pace to the refuge of the washroom.

----------

As the warm water rushed over his hands, Draco stared absently down at them. He felt so muddled he couldn't even begin to sort through the various thoughts and feelings weaving their way around his being. There were three women dancing through his mind causing him no end of heartache and elation.

First… always first, came Hermione. He loved her and hated her. She was his family… his sister… his mother… his best friend. She was an intrinsic part of him, but her unconscious cruelties were tearing at him like a knife. Today had been the breaking point though. She had physically attacked him. He could shrivel up and die for the pain that caused him. She couldn't help herself and he couldn't blame her, but her chilling refusal to forgive him was slowly breaking him down. He'd made the gut wrenching realization that barring a miracle he was going to have to distance himself from her.

Then came Ginny. She, along with Ron, Harry, and the Weasleys, were the only brightness in his otherwise bleak existence. It amazed him that she knew who and what he was and what he used to be, and still tried to be a genuine friend to him. They'd spent a lot of time together over the last several months working closely on counter curses for the Ministry, and he'd grown very fond of her. She was warm and gregarious and playful and sincere…. and a right terror when she was angry. He chuckled lightly to himself.

Recently, they'd begun to see each other on a more than 'just friends' basis. They weren't hiding it exactly, but they hadn't made any announcements either. He wasn't in love with her by any means and he knew she wasn't in love with him. It just came so natural spending time together. She understood what his heart had been through. They'd both been in love and still loved someone who chose not to love them back.

That led his thoughts finally to _"her"._ He couldn't even bring himself to think her name. She quietly invaded his mind in moments of distraction. He'd be occupied with something in one moment, and then find himself drowning in daydreams of the lift of her brow, or her silken honey-coloured hair, or even the delicate curve of her chin in the next. His head would swim and his body would flush, making him feel altogether unwell. _'Her smile.'_ He trembled slightly. The memory of that smile and how those lips felt against his always made his heart skip. It angered him to no end that he was no less in love with her now than he had been the day she'd left six months ago.

"Bloody sodding Egypt." He muttered under his breath.

"You know, speaking to oneself is the first sign of madness."

Draco jumped at the interruption. Looking up quickly into the mirror, he found the reflection of a man meeting his gaze levelly.

The man was so familiar to him. He had short spiky black hair and a huge scar running clear down his face on the diagonal. But it was his eyes that Draco recognized. Ice blue eyes. He knew them like he knew his own.

Beyond that, Draco was sure he had seen this man before in passing. Every time he had turned to get a better look though, the man was gone like he had never been there in the first place. Like it was all in his head.

Draco turned quickly in an attempt to catch the man in a confirmation of his existence.

"Jumpy, aren't we?" The man drawled.

He then sauntered up next to Draco, all the while examining himself in the mirror.

For some ungodly reason, Draco was absolutely paralyzed by the man's presence. He could only stare at him slack jawed, mesmerized by the spectre before him.

The man finally turned once again and met Draco's gaze with an unflinching stare.

"Hello Draco."

"Who are you?" Draco whispered.

The man quirked a slight smirk at him before turning back to the sink to wash his hands.

"Now, Draco. Is that anyway to greet your father?"


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I own nothing except the clothes on my back.

Chapter 2

"Who are you?" Draco whispered.

The man quirked a slight smirk at him before turning back to the sink to wash his hands.

"Now Draco, is that anyway to greet your father?"

Lucius continued to meticulously peruse his image in the mirror as a deafening silence descended upon them.

Draco could only gape in wide-eyed shock. "But you're… you're dead." He stuttered out.

"Then perhaps I'm a figment of your imagination."

"My father had white blond hair." Draco finally managed.

With a slight agitation in his movements, Lucius turned to face Draco, and pulled his wand from deep within his robes. Pinning him with a cold, piercing glare, Lucius waved his wand wordlessly and his hair instantly went a brilliant white blond.

"But… but your hair is short." Draco stuttered. "My father's hair was…"

"I cut it, you stupid twit." Lucius was quickly becoming irritated by his son's stubborn refusal to accept the truth. He inhaled sharply through his nose to settle the anger looming inside before continuing. "I'm not exactly at liberty to walk about looking like my old self, now am I? If the Ministry were to become aware of my continued existence... Well, I would most likely find myself in Azkaban before I could take another breath."

With a deft flick of his wand, Lucius changed his hair back to the striking ebony it possessed before.

Draco seemed mesmerized by the man's face, especially the scar.

"What happened to your face?"

Lucius leveled him with a dark, vengeful look. "Hermione Granger happened."

"She did that to you?" Draco couldn't keep the disbelief from his voice.

Had Hermione really disfigured his father? Was that perhaps the reason he was fighting with her when they'd had the accident? True, his memories of his father were anything but cheerful. From what Draco could recall, he was a vicious, cruel man, but he was still his father, and there were moments...

"She did a lot more than this." Lucius' voice cut into his thoughts. "Draco, she nearly killed me. I think she believed she had."

Draco looked down and shook his head, trying to fathom what could have lead Hermione to do such a thing. It wasn't hard to believe his father had done something to incur that kind of wrath from her.

"How is the little, filthy Mudblood anyhow?" Lucius continued, sneering slightly in disgust.

"Don't call her that." Draco insisted quietly.

"Oh, that's right. She's your best buddy now, isn't she? How fitting."

"Enough." Draco had to get the situation under control. "If you are who you say you are, then what do you want?"

"I want what is mine." Lucius snapped. "You're the last vestige of family I have. You're mother is dead. Everyone else is gone. Is it wrong for me to try and regain what little connection I have to this world?"

Draco felt his chest constrict painfully. He wanted so much to believe that this man wanted him back… wanted his son back, but the memories of his childhood stood out in glaring contrast. His father didn't want him. Never had. He wanted power. But what did he have that this man could possibly perceive as an advantage? Maybe Lucius _had_ changed. Maybe, like so many others, the war had altered him. Draco shook his head in confusion.

Seeing his son's inner conflict, Lucius latched onto the weakness. "You are the only thing I have left in this world Draco. Please, don't push me away." He pleaded softly as he grabbed onto Draco's arm.

Draco wrenched his arm away shaken by the other man's desperate words. He felt the will to push him away waning and an indescribable tug of kinship. Terrified by his own susceptible nature, Draco backed up quickly and fled the washroom.

Lucius smirked cruelly. "Oh Draco, once a needy child, always a needy child."

----------

Hermione took a deep breath. She had basically just spilled the entire day's events out in one giant ramble.

When she looked across the table, she was met with Ginny gaping at her in disbelief. She then looked to her left for Ron's support, but found him avoiding her gaze. Insecurity began to infiltrate her senses.

She eyed him closely, agitation accentuating his every move as he rubbed his hand across his mouth and then trailed it to the nape of his neck for an awkward squeeze. He quickly glanced at her, but averted his eyes when he found her staring at him intently.

"Hermione, I… I'm not… Sorry, I just don't know what to say." Ginny mumbled uncertainly.

"Ron?" Hermione uttered weakly.

"'Mione, I… um… All he was doing was sweeping?" He questioned her in horrified awe.

"Oh, Ron…" Hermione let her head fall forward onto the table.

Ginny shook her head. "I can understand why you were pissed with him Hermione, but to curse him while he was defenseless?"

Hermione lifted her head to answer Ginny's subtle accusation and found she had no response.

Suddenly, Draco came barreling from the back of the pub, and flew straight out the door without so much as a glance in their direction.

Alarmed, Ginny jumped up to follow, but then turned back at the sound of Ron's insistent voice.

"Oi, Ginny."

The image before her made her heart ache terribly. Ron was struggling slightly to stand while Hermione had once again propped her elbows on the table, and cradled her head in her hands.

"Gin, wait a sec…" Ron joined her, and moved them off a bit. She flinched at the extra effort it took him, and briefly wondered how long it would take him to heal completely, if ever.

Just above a whisper, he continued. "You go after Draco, and make sure he's alright. I'll hit Harry up later for information on how today's session went."

Ginny could only nod. The thought of speaking to Harry left her feeling jittery. After his break down over Ron all those months back, he had pulled away from her completely. He was always friendly, but there was no mistaking the veritable wall of indifference he had thrown up between them.

It had hurt like a bugger, but she'd be lying if she said she was surprised by his withdrawal. It was par for the course. She couldn't take the constant distancing anymore though, and had finally realized it was time to move on. Draco was a nice enough bloke who made her laugh and needed someone just as much as she did. No one knew about them yet, and she wanted to keep it that way at least for a little while.

With one last concerned glance to Hermione and then to Ron, Ginny took her leave.

Finally alone, Ron forced his eyes back to Hermione's prone, desolate form at the table. He was at a loss as to what to do. On the one hand, he could completely understand her struggle to let the grudge go. If he were in her place, he'd be hard pressed to do the same. And thinking back a whole year's time, he had been.

Ron took a steeling breath, and walked back to the table. Sitting down across from her, he took her hands from her hair and held them in his own. For her part, Hermione refused to draw her eyes up to meet his gaze.

"'Mione… Love, look at me." He prodded her gently.

Pulling her eyes up, and pinning him with devastating sadness, she sighed. "So, how was therapy with Ginny today?"

"Oh, no you don't. You're not skirting around this."

"Oh, yes I am." She ground out, hunkering down for a fight. "I don't want to talk about it anymore. I know I've stuffed things up horribly, Ron. He won't even look at me for Merlin's sake. So can we please give it a break?"

"'Mione…" He pleaded.

"How was therapy?" She continued determined to put an end to their last conversation.

He eyed her in frustration for a moment. She could be so bloody closed off and stubborn sometimes, but he wasn't going to let this one go. He'd save it for when they were alone and could have a real blow up.

"Fine." He muttered begrudgingly.

----------

Ginny burst out the door first looking right and then left for Draco. Spotting his retreating figure down the street, she quickly made her way after him.

"Draco!" she called to him over the heads of the other passersby.

He glanced to the side slightly acknowledging her voice, but seemed to quicken his pace.

Matching and surpassing his fast clip, she soon caught up to him until she was nearly shadowing his steps.

"Draco… Draco… Listen… Stop for a moment, would you?"

He spun around to face her still panting heavily from his surreal encounter in the washroom. He glanced at her briefly, but his eyes then shot about unable to focus on anything concrete.

Ginny grabbed his arms firmly and shook him, forcing his eyes to fall back to hers.

"What happened? I heard Hermione's version of things. She's beating herself up pretty badly over the whole thing… but I want your side."

He dropped his eyes, and cast about for something to say. He couldn't let Ginny think that his upset stemmed from his run in with Hermione.

"Ginny, this has nothing to do with Hermione. Trust me."

"Then what has you so riled?" She pleaded.

"I… I can't Ginny. I'll tell you, I promise I will. Just not right now… I need some time to think, or process, or whatever else Parvati would tell me I need to do."

He gave her a playful smirk that still didn't quite erase the uneasiness in his eyes, and slipped his arms around her waist effectively pulling her closer.

Ginny's breath hitched lightly in her chest. Draco had never been so forward with her before, and she wasn't sure she was ready for it. Yes, they were trying something new, but she hadn't quite let go of the something old yet.

She looked up into his steel grey eyes, and what she saw instantly calmed her. There was no raw passion or need, only the comfort of a very good friend. Maybe she could do this. What they had wasn't fiery, but it was warm all the same.

She eased her grip on his shoulders, and gently smoothed his arms up and down.

"Are you ready to apparate with me back to St. Mungo's?" She asked softly.

"Yes, but can we go to your office first. I still need a moment."

She smiled up at him, and nodded a wordless concession. Then the familiar squeeze took hold, and in an instant they were in her dimly lit workspace.

"I will never get over how much fun that is." He chuckled.

"You're such a child sometimes." She giggled up at him.

"Oh, you know you love it." He scolded her lightly as he gave her a playful squeeze.

She blushed a deep crimson, and started to laugh a little harder when the distinct sound of someone clearing their throat cut through their little moment.

Both instantly turned their heads to take in the person who had caught them so unaware. Mortified, they gracelessly dropped their hold on each other.

"Harry." Ginny gasped out.

**A/N: Oh my God, I'm so sorry that took so long to update. Life has been utter chaos lately.**

IHeartMCR: lol… yay!!!! This should be fun :-)

ginger28: Hey lady, the Ginny/Harry is all for you ;-)

dragonfly.refresh: Oh, Lucius knows and he's going to use it…

charma10: thank you… I'll try to keep them coming :-)

Lioness-of-Fire: tee hee… you have no idea ;-)

Salemsoriginal99: Things are definitely interesting on this end. Hope all is well with you. Sorry I've been absent. Needed a break. I'll try to be around more :-)

soccergirl142005: Sorry for the long delay. Life and holidays got in the way.

Avanell: Yah, speedy Gonzales here… unfortunately, it took me ages on this one… lol.


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter in any way.

DSL – Chapter 3

Harry sat in the dimly lit office both dreading and craving the appearance of a certain fiery red head. He'd grown quite adept at watching her while she was unaware, but that was completely beside the point.

The reason for this particular visit was twisting painfully in his gut. He really didn't want to be the bearer of such bad news. She was under enough pressure. She didn't need…

Suddenly, a soft 'pop' reverberated from across the room pulling Harry from his rambling thoughts. He glanced up, and the vision that assaulted his eyes instantly made his chest clench.

There stood Ginny with Draco's arms wrapped securely about her waist. Her hands were gently clutching his shoulders, and they looked so content… so intimate. Paralyzed by something indefinable coursing through his veins, Harry was helpless but to watch the scene unfolding before him.

Draco gave a soft chuckle, and mumbled low. "I will never get over how much fun that is." He then looked down at her tenderly, and offered her a warm smile.

"You're such a child sometimes." She giggled up at him.

"Oh, you know you love it." He scolded her lightly as he pressed her closer.

Harry started angrily at the other man's playfulness, but almost immediately cringed away from the feeling. Miserably, he conceded he had no right to nurture the pit of jealously forming in his stomach.

For her part, Ginny blushed madly, and glancing down, shyly started to laugh.

Finally finding the nerve to make his presence known, Harry stood and sharply cleared his throat.

Both instantly turned their heads toward him, and the embarrassment that marred their features upon spotting him only served to provoke the irrational anger firing within him even stronger.

They pulled away from each other, and she breathlessly sputtered. "Harry."

In that moment, Harry reasoned that his best and only option in this situation was to detach. Otherwise, he wouldn't be able to make it through the necessary conversation without thoroughly embarrassing himself.

"Ginny… Draco…" he responded coolly.

Ginny eyed him warily; his face was cold and impassive. She swallowed down the shock, and tried to move past the overwhelming awkwardness.

'_Obviously, the discomfort is all one-sided. I guess you have to actually care to feel uncomfortable.' _The thought made her heart sink just that little bit further.

Seeing the slight sag of her shoulders and knowing full well the cause, Draco stepped closer to her in concern and took her hand.

Unseen by either, Harry's jaw clenched tightly as the muscles in his face went rigid.

Smiling down at her sympathetically, Draco whispered. "I'll stop by a little later."

"Where are you going?" She asked, sounding very much like a scared child.

Anxiously, he stole a glance at Harry, who seemed to be trying his hardest to appear disinterested. Ginny may have been blind to Harry's masking techniques, but Draco knew better.

"Oh, I'm going to drop by Parvati's office for a visit. Today's been very much like a day and a half."

Harry's countenance softened, but he still kept his eyes focused firmly down.

"Right. I'll see you later then." She replied softly.

Draco gave her hand one last squeeze, and shot Harry an uncertain look.

He moved off toward the door, but stopped just short of leaving and turned back. "Harry? I… I really need to talk to you later if that's all alright."

His ominous tone caught Harry off guard. What could Draco possibly have to tell him? Was it about Hermione and their fight? Did he know about the public inquiry? Worse yet, was it something to do with his apparent relationship with Ginny? The possibilities were endless and each one was more terrifying than the last. Harry met his eyes evenly, and jerked his head in a quick nod. With that, Draco was gone.

Ginny stared at the door hyperaware of the caustic energy in the room while Harry pretended to examine the intricate threading of the rug on the floor. Seconds of excruciating silence passed as the air in the room grew thick with tension.

Unable to bear the weight pressing down on her any longer, Ginny burst forward moving briskly around her desk.

"Have a seat." She rambled, as she sat down herself.

"I'd rather stand. Thanks all the same." He snapped shortly, clearly distracted.

Her eyes shot up for a moment before looking back down.

"Fine." She spat quietly, enraged by his rudeness. "Well, I have work to do. When you've decided you're ready to get to the point, let me know."

She knew she was being hostile, but she couldn't stand the cruel turn his nature had taken lately. She grabbed her quill and started to write furiously only half conscious of the notes she was making.

Shocked by her biting words, Harry stared down at the crown of her head in abject despair. Merlin, he loved this woman. Loved her so much he truly believed the emotion would rip him clean apart one day.

But despite this, and perhaps even because of it, he could not bring himself to claim her. He'd convinced himself he couldn't. Losing Hermione for all those years, and then very nearly losing Ron six months ago had almost ruined him. He loved them both dearly. They were his family.

It was for this very same reason that he felt a dark shame in acknowledging to himself that no one and nothing could ever possess his heart the way Ginny did. He couldn't imagine anything worse then her dying, and leaving him behind. He was wrong. Oh, how he was wrong. The moment he saw her embracing another man, he realized there were levels of hell he couldn't even fathom.

His willful dismissal of her had been getting harder and harder by the day. True, he'd been doing it for years but since Ron's near death, he'd been on the brink of crumbling. Now though, it made little to no difference how close he'd come. She'd found someone else. Someone who cherished her.

Harry took a deep, cleansing breath. He had to get on with the original purpose of his visit before she realized he was hovering over her and called him on it.

He cleared his throat anxiously, and took the seat across from her.

"Ginny." He mumbled.

She stiffened at the sound of his voice, but continued aggressively jotting down her notes.

"Ginny, I'm here to warn you."

Her head shot up quickly to meet his gaze.

"Excuse me?" She blustered in indignation, misunderstanding his meaning.

He could see the ire rising in her eyes, and new he had to proceed with caution.

"Are you aware of the public inquiry involving Draco's trial and punishment?"

Realizing she had no idea what he was talking about, Ginny dropped her quill onto the desk and gave him her undivided attention.

"No." She uttered shakily.

Something about Harry's change in demeanor scared her beyond words.

"Well, it seems there's a group that's pushing for an investigation into the whole thing. They're questioning the Ministry's actions… Your father's actions specifically in obtaining Draco's conviction and testimony on the Death Eater movement."

The full weight of what he was telling her slowly began to crush her.

"Ginny, do you remember that conversation we had? The one about Percy, and how he… he threatened you if you didn't..."

Her eyes went wide with horror recollecting the exchange. Harry had done wonders to calm her down.

"Did… did he say anything that could implicate your Dad?" He continued.

"I… I can't remember. Harry, it was so long ago."

"Gin, you have to know that because you were in charge of Hermione and Draco's recovery, this group is going to demand you be questioned. There was even talk of using _Veritaserum_ if necessary. I… I just wanted you to be prepared."

Ginny rubbed her hands over her face, placed her elbows on her desk, and leaned her mouth into her clenched fists.

She shifted her gaze to meet his, and searched his eyes for salvation. "Harry, what am I going to do?"

"I don't know, Gin."

----------

"So, is that everything you need?" Parvati asked, giggling slightly as she handed over a thick folder.

"It should be. This is all that they're interested in." Lavender sighed through her waning laughter.

The two women continued to titter slightly. It had been ages since their last girl session.

"I still can't believe the infamous Lavender Brown did not find herself a boy toy while in Egypt." Parvati offered pointedly.

Lavender scoped about, trying hard to cover the heartache that had been plaguing her since she'd left.

Taking a deep breath, she waved her hand with as much indifference as she could muster. "Oh, there were boys... but no men."

A sad, knowing smile graced Parvati's delicate face. "Yes… well, by your definition there aren't many of those walking about, but I can certainly think of one… and I believe you're holding all of his details in your hot little hands right now."

Lavender glanced down at the folder. What an absolutely impossible mess. She grasped on tighter to the file, and shook her head as she felt a deep, hot flush run through her.

"Parvati love, that's over and we both know it."

"Maybe for you it is…"

Suddenly, a slight rapping interrupted them. Parvati glanced to the door, then back to Lavender. "We're done, right?"

"Yeah, yeah… I need to be going anyway."

Without warning, more determined knocking resounded through the room.

"My, my… someone's impatient." Lavender giggled. "I thought you said there was no boyfriend, Parvati? Did Dean finally get off his arse?"

Flushing slightly, Parvati huffed. "No. Lav, don't be ridiculous. Come in!"

Lavender turned in her chair to greet the overly eager visitor, but was met with the shock of her life. White blond hair hung unheeded into the man's steel grey eyes, framing an angular, handsome face.

Feeling her heart hammering frantically in her chest, Lavender whipped back around, and slouched down in mortified shock. She'd planned on avoiding him as much as humanly possible. She knew she was being completely irrational, but she wasn't ready for this. Did she really have to run into him her first day back?

As Draco leaned the upper half of his body into the room, he started to ramble. "Hello Parvati! Was wondering if you had time for a chat today?"

He hadn't noticed the other person until she'd already put her back to him. "Oh, hello! Sorry about that. I can come back later." He offered pleasantly enough.

Parvati jumped up and came around her desk to obscure his view of the woman in the chair.

"Actually, if you could Draco. We just need another five minutes or so."

Throughout this, Lavender's mind was reeling.

'_No.'_ She thought fiercely. '_We are going to have to deal with each other at some point. This stupid inquest is going to make it unavoidable. I was being dense thinking I could push this off.'_

Lavender quickly stood, and turned around. "That's alright! I was just leaving."

Draco's lively features fell instantly, and he went a frightening shade of white. He stared at the vision in front of him unable to move or look away. Her skin was a little tanned and her hair was lighter, but she was the same. Full lips… blue green eyes… soft features… She was still breathtaking.

Then the significance of her presence began to sink in and a cold rage thundered through him, turning his normally warm countenance to an icy glare. He stepped into the room and swung the door fully ajar, holding it open for her. She gaped at him in shock. The last thing she'd expected was for him to be a gentleman.

"What?" He sneered, seeing her stunned expression. "Wouldn't want to keep you when you so obviously are in a rush to leave. Besides, there's _absolutely nothing_ for you here." His tone was beyond cold.

Lavender's breath hitched lightly in her chest as she felt a knot forming in her throat. When he'd been cruel to her before, she'd found out later he did it to protect her… because he loved her. Clearly, that was no longer the case. Now, his words held nothing but loathing.

She quickly grabbed her cloak from the chair, and muttered. "We'll chat more later, Parv."

"Right. I'll see you later." She mumbled in response.

Poor Parvati was completely powerless to stop the emotional power struggle playing out in her office. The best she could do was to help Draco work through the encounter once Lavender was gone, and then check in with her friend later.

As she strode toward the doorway, Lavender paused beside Draco and he visibly tensed at her close proximity. It took every ounce of willpower he possessed not to cave to the almost uncontrollable urge to close the gap. Instead, he fixed his eyes forward eluding her gaze.

Her eyes hungrily traveled the course of his face drinking in every feature... every slight flaw.

"It's good to see you again, Draco." She uttered softly.

Without responding, he closed his eyes and turned his face away from her slightly. His rejection cut deeply, and she quickly fled the room.

Knowing she was finally gone, he violently threw the door closed, allowing it to slam shut harshly behind him.

"Rough day?" Parvati finally managed.

"Let's just say bad things happen in threes."

**  
**

**A/N: For those of you missing the R/H moments... You'll be getting it in spades in the next chapter :-)  
**

IHeartMCR: Yes, I love the fake stuff. the real stuff can be awful.

Salemsoriginal99: I'm glad you like the Lucius thing. He's going to be quite involved in this story.

ginger28: Did you like that? lol...

dragonfly.refresh: Sorry... I needed it to be slightly scattered to show how much the tension between Draco and Hermione is screwing everyone up.

soccergirl142005: lol... yes, they certainly did ;-)

Avanell: lol... you know my chapters only get longer and longer as we go along. I'm sure you're going to be begging me to cut them back soon enough... lol


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter.

Chapter 4

"How was therapy?" Hermione continued determined to put an end to their last conversation.

He eyed her in frustration for a moment. "Fine." He finally muttered.

She stared at him expectantly, but when he didn't give any more of an answer than that, she gritted her teeth and huffed out slightly. She watched him as he fixed his clasped hands with a dark stare.

"Anything new?" she asked, trying to cover her growing annoyance.

"Nope. Same old." He answered curtly.

"Oh, come off it Ron." She burst out.

" 'Come off it' what? What do you want to hear?"

"How your morning went."

"I said it went fine."

"Obviously, it didn't."

"Wait, we can't talk about why you went barmy in class today, but you're allowed to poke and prod at me? That's rich."

"That's different."

"It's not different." He railed at her.

"Please Ron. I've already told you everything that happened this morning."

"Not why it happened."

"We both know why it happened." She growled at him.

"No. You know why it happened. I have a slight inkling that I might know what it was about."

"Ron, I told you I don't want to talk about this anymore."

"And I don't want to talk about therapy." He huffed in response.

"Why not?" She nearly screamed.

"Because I don't."

"At least I told you what was going on with me. You won't even give me that much."

"Hermione." He implored.

"No. Don't you 'Hermione' me! You know perfectly well why I attacked Draco, and why I feel horrible about it, and even why I don't want to talk about it now. But you… you haven't been telling me anything about these bloody healing sessions with Ginny and Draco for weeks now.

"Draco's not a part of them any more." He snapped.

"What? What do you mean? Why not?"

"Because St. Mungo's pulled him off my case."

"Why would they do that?"

"Merlin, I don't know." He threw his hands up in aggravation. "Maybe they thought their healers had a good enough grasp of the counter curse healing charm. I thought he would have told you."

"He didn't say a word." She answered quietly.

She looked down and shook her head slightly as if more to herself before pushing on. "Well, did Ginny say if you were still improving?"

His eyes shot up, and he pinned her with a withering glare. The memory of what Ginny had told him that morning thundered through his mind.

----------

_As she ran the wand over his chest and abdomen, Ron lay prone on the examining table studying his sister's troubled features. _

"_Damn it!" she cursed softly, and shook her head in frustration._

"_What is it?" he asked alarmed by her tone._

"_Nothing. It's nothing." She sighed quietly as she walked away to add to her notes on his file._

_Ron sat up slowly, trying to gather his courage. He knew she wasn't being honest with him._

"_Gin, what's going on? What aren't you telling me?"_

_She paused briefly before turning back around, but it was long enough for Ron to know that he wasn't going to like what she had to say._

----------

"Ron, did she say if you were…" Hermione's agitated, pinched voice invaded his devastating memory.

"No, she didn't." He spat at her fiercely, cutting her off. "Quite the opposite, in fact."

"Ron." She uttered breathlessly, shocked by his hostility.

"No. You wanted to hear this… you're going to bloody well hear this. I'm not getting better. I'm getting worse. My condition is deteriorating. Is that what you wanted to know? Is it?" He shouted.

He stood quickly, and instantly regretted it. His head spun wickedly, and a streak of burning heat shot up his spine landing ultimately at the base of his skull. Listing dangerously to the side, Ron grasped the edge of the table with both hands to steady himself.

"Ron!" Hermione called out as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around him to ensure he wouldn't collapse.

After several deep breathes, Ron finally rasped out. "'Mione… Please… Can you let go of me?"

Hermione instantly felt awkward, and took a step back and away from him.

Ron pressed his hands against the tabletop and bowed his head.

Keeping his back firmly to her, he mumbled. ""Mione, when I talked to Gin, I… I just wanted to know when I could get on with things... be myself… play quidditch… go back to work… be with you."

"What did she say?" Hermione couldn't hide the tremor in her voice.

"That basically without Draco's help those things won't be happening any time soon."

Hermione felt the sting of unshed tears blur her eyes as she took a step into him, and placed her hands gently on his back.

He turned to face her, and crossing his arms over his chest, sat against the table.

Hermione pinned him with a look of loving concern until her eyes were drawn to his mouth and a deep, mortifying shock made her gasp.

Ron started slightly at the terrified expression on her face. "What Hermione? What is it?"

"You… you have… Ron, you have blood on your lips."

He touched his hands to his mouth, and looked down at the red stickiness on his fingers.

----------

Percy Weasley tried to walk with some decorum but only succeeded in tripping himself up with his stiff comportment as he scurried down the long hallway. He was having severe difficulty focusing on his course as his mind busily rifled through the mess of thoughts rattling about in his head.

This wasn't happening to him. He'd had everything planned so perfectly, and up until recently, it had all been falling into place. He'd graduated from Hogwarts at the top of his class, and been offered a job at the Ministry almost instantly. Granted, it was only an entry-level position in the legal department, but he'd worked tirelessly up through the ranks. Now, he was the Lead Barrister for the prosecution of suspected Dark Wizards and Death Eaters.

He marveled at how quickly things had spiraled out of control though. If only he'd been able to try Malfoy and have him convicted, then none of this would be happening.

'_Bloody prick! Reformed my eye!'_ Percy thought viciously.

He came to an abrupt stop and stared at the door in front of him. He knew it had been a bad idea when Sparkle suggested coercing Lavender. He should have just listened to his gut, but he let his eagerness to get Draco cloud his better judgment.

He rapped lightly on the door and proceeded inside without waiting for permission to enter. His eyes had to adjust to the dark gloom of the office as he searched for the figure usually situated behind the desk.

His eyes settling on the small man, Percy cleared his throat and with as much haughty superiority as he could muster, spat out. "Sparkle, we need to talk."

Once he had finished scrawling out his last sentence, Gerald Sparkle slowly pulled his gaze up to level his new arrival with an air of complete indifference.

"I suppose we do, Mr. Weasley. Please have a seat."

Percy stepped forward and took the proffered chair without a second thought.

"How can I help you?" Sparkle continued, sighing heavily.

"I'm sure you are aware of the public inquest being conducted over the Ministry's actions in the Malfoy case."

"I've been made abreast of some of the details, sir."

"Well then, doubtless you understand the potential outcomes of such an investigation."

"I can think of a few sir, but obviously there is one specific scenario that has you concerned." He answered evenly.

'_This man and his borderline apathy could seriously drive a man to drink.'_ Percy thought in passing.

"My major concern, Mr. Sparkle, lie in the tactics used to encourage Healer Brown to co-operate in the Malfoy investigation."

"As well as your sister, Mr. Weasley?" Sparkle supplied.

"Pardon?" Percy sputtered.

"Well sir, you did have a conversation with your sister regarding Malfoy as well, did you not?"

Percy's eyes went wide with the horrifying recollection. "Oh, bloody hell!"

"She wouldn't say anything, would she Mr. Weasley?" Sparkle asked, trying halfheartedly to reassure him.

"No, I don't believe she would. But they might use _Veritaserum _on her, in which case it may come out if they ask the right questions. Sod it!"

Percy's mind was reeling with this new threat, and didn't notice the other man trying to gain his attention.

"Sir… Sir, what do you propose we do?"

Snapping his head up to meet Gerald Sparkle's gaze, Percy simply stared at him for a moment.

"Since you have been the main liaison with Brown, I trust that you can take care of that situation on your own. I'll talk to my sister." He finally continued.

Percy stood and made his way to the door. As his hand landed upon the handle, something occurred to him.

"This cannot be linked back to my father in any way. Do you understand me?"

"Yes, Mr. Weasley. Perfectly."

With that, Percy swiveled around, and bustled from the room.

----------

"Draco, you can only blame Lavender for leaving for so long. At some point you're going to need to let it go and move on."

"Are you saying that as _my_ therapist, or as _her_ friend?" He mumbled darkly.

"As your therapist." She answered definitively after a moment's consideration. "If I were talking as her friend, I'd tell you that she's very hung up on someone right now. I've never seen her so… smitten."

Draco's posture went rigid, and his jaw clenched painfully in response to the implications of that statement.

"Really? And who might the _lucky_ man be?" he spat out vindictively.

Parvati, unable to hide the smirk dancing across her lips, only shook her head in amusement.

"Well Draco, I'm not at liberty to tell you his identity but I will say this. Since meeting him, she's absolutely fallen in love with the colour green."

Completely confused by this cryptic clue, Draco sputtered. "What? That doesn't tell me anything."

Parvati laughed outright. "Draco, stop being so dense. Why in the world would any self-respecting _Gryffindor_ fall in love with the colour _green_?"

She watched him closely waiting for the penny to drop. His brow was knit in confusion as he furiously tried to piece together the prick's identity from her hints.

Suddenly it struck him, and his eyes went wide in realization. His expression, however, was not filled with the elation Parvati had anticipated. Instead, he looked slightly aghast.

"Parvati, you must be mistaken. There's no way… I mean she left… Wouldn't she stay if she were… you know?" he desperately tried to reason.

"Draco, she was scared. I know for a fact she's never felt this way about anyone before."

"But… but I… I'm seeing someone else now. I mean it is me we're talking about, right?"

Parvati's face fell. "Yes, it's you, you silly prat. When did this happen?"

"Well, it's relatively new, and we're both taking it slow but…"

Parvati sighed in defeat, and waved her hand slightly to silence his apologetic stuttering.

"I understand and I'm sure she's a wonderful woman who ever she is."

"Oh, she is… the best really."

Parvati could only nod in response. After a few uncomfortable seconds, she finally spoke. "Then I guess it's Lavender's loss."

Draco couldn't help the wash of empty falseness flooding his senses. Who was he kidding? He was still mad about Lavender, and if what Parvati was saying was true…

"Alright then Draco." Parvati's voice cut through his thoughts, "I guess we should call it a day. I'm meeting a friend for dinner."

He stood, and shifting awkwardly on his feet, wondered briefly if her "friend" was anyone in particular.

"Right. I'll see you Wednesday."

He started for the door, but her voice stayed his progress.

"Draco, you said earlier there were three things that happened today. We've discussed Hermione and Lavender. What was the third?"

He stared at her blankly for a moment before mumbling out in a rush of words. "My new girlfriend's ex found out about us."

It wasn't a complete lie. That really had occurred, it just wasn't what he was going to tell her. He was going to be honest, and reveal his encounter with Lucius, but decided against it at the last second.

She eyed him shrewdly, but then gave him a quick nod. "When you're ready to talk about her as well, I'm here."

He focused his gaze down to the floor, and offered softly. "Thanks."

After a few more seconds of quiet reflection, he breathed in sharply through his nose and reached for the doorknob.

Making his way through the door, he threw back at her. "Wednesday."

"Wednesday." She answered in kind.

As soon as it was shut, she glanced down and her eyes instantly fell upon his forgotten cloak draped across the back of his newly vacated chair.

"Oh bugger!" she cursed softly.

Jumping up, she quickly made her way around the desk and grabbed the garment on her way across the room. She pulled the door open, and was surprised by a person on the other side.

"Oh, hello." She chirped pleasantly enough.

In a heartbeat her expression went from one of open friendliness to utter terror. Without warning, a hand shot up and covered her mouth before she could scream for her life.

**A/N: Sorry for the wait. Life's been a little nuts lately.**

IHeartMCR: lol... sexual tension and lots of intrigue ;-)

charma10: Oh thank you... This is probably going to be the most complicated one, that's for sure. Everyone has a pretty strong agenda.

ginger28: Yeah, the updates may a bit slower because exams are coming up and I'm choreographing that show on weekends.

Lioness-of-Fire: Draco's going to have a lot on his hands in the coming chapters. And Harry will eventually grow some stones... lol.

Avanell: I want more CVO and H&W.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don't own any part of Harry Potter.

Chapter 5

Lavender knocked lightly on the door then began to worry her hands in anticipation. The last thing she wanted was another run in with _him_, but she'd been waiting at the restaurant for Parvati for over an hour Their session really should not have taken that long.

She rapped her hand against the wood frame again, but when there was still no response, she inched the door open slightly and peeked inside. Seeing the room was vacant, she opened the door more fully and scoped about for her friend.

Something seemed off but she couldn't place what exactly. Glancing around the office, she shut the door softly behind her, and took a few tentative steps forward, but nearly tripped over when her feet became entangled in something.

Lavender's focus was immediately drawn to the floor where she found a black material laced around her feet. She knelt down and unraveled the soft fabric, and as she stood back up, she examined what she now recognized to be a cloak, thoughtfully tracing the material with her anxious fingers.

She knew the owner of this garment – would recognize that scent anywhere. She could almost feel him filling it out. A light, involuntarily shudder coursed through her at the thought of running her hands over him.

He must have forgotten it, and Parvati was going to return it to him. Why she hadn't and why it was crumpled on the rug by the door were just fleeting questions in Lavender's mind as she ventured a little further into the room, resuming her search.

As she came around the side of the desk, a small, motionless hand on the floor came into view and she froze. Lavender's mind began to race with every possible explanation except the most obvious. She couldn't let herself go there.

She took a few more graceless steps around the desk, and was met with the vision of Parvati's lifeless form sprawled out on the floor. Lavender's senses were instantly flooded with a blinding panic.

Staring down at the still body of her best friend, paralyzing fear and anguish washed over her like a tidal wave. She could only gape down at the horror before her. Without warning, Lavender's wits came slamming back to her, and she released an ear-piercing scream.

----------

He gazed at her intently as she pulled at her bottom lip, considering her options.

"As long as I cooperate," Ginny continued, "there should be no call for them to use _Veritaserum_. I just won't bring up Percy."

She drew her eyes up to him waiting for an answer but he seemed caught up in his own thoughts as he stared back at her mindlessly.

"Harry? Harry…"

"What? Oh, sorry."

She narrowed her eyes at him, growing increasingly suspicious of his odd behaviour throughout their entire conversation.

"Harry, is something the matter?"

"Oh, nothing. No, it's… um… nothing, really." He stammered.

"Alright." She paused a moment as if to consider him in his distraction. "You know you can always talk to me about anything, yeah?" She offered.

Before she had even finished the sentence though, he posed his next question. "How long have you and Draco been… seeing each other?"

He tried to keep his tone even and disinterested but to his chagrin, it came out sounding pinched.

"Excuse me?" She sat back in her chair as if to distance herself from the question.

"Well, it's fairly obvious. I was just wondering when… you know."

"Harry, that's none of your business." She snapped, cringing as soon as the unheeded words escaped her lips.

And with that, all possible doubt was cleared away. She could have said _'What are you talking about? You're mad, you know that?'_ or _'We're not seeing each other. That's barmy.'_ Her simple words, however, had all but confirmed it.

They stared at each other in aching discomfort until he finally tore his eyes away and began to collect himself and his cloak.

"Harry." She pleaded.

"Hey, no, it's great. You two really get along well, that's for sure, so it just makes sense." He managed, still avoiding her eyes.

"I didn't mean it to sound so…"

"No, no…" He cut her off as he stood. "Wasn't my place to ask."

Ginny was floored. What was he on about? Why was he acting so wounded? If she didn't know any better, she'd say he was jealous but that couldn't be right.

As if on cue, Draco popped his head in the door interrupting the excruciating moment, and babbled. "Hello love. All done?"

Ginny eyes snapped to Harry's face, and she saw for the first time a ripple of tension make its way through his clenched jaw.

"Yes, all done." He muttered darkly.

Harry brusquely made his way passed Draco to exit but was brought up short when he came face to face with a breathless Healer in the doorway. He stepped aside quickly to allow the frantic woman entry.

"Ginny, we need you down in examination room three as soon as possible." The woman panted out desperately.

Ginny stared at the Healer slightly dumbfounded by the apparent emergency awaiting her.

"Yes, of course." She finally eked out.

Collecting her things, she stood quickly then made her way to the door to join the other woman. Before leaving the room entirely though, Ginny came to a stand by Harry, and laid her hand on his forearm. He tensed at the innocent, yet intimate gesture - his whole body buzzing from the simple contact.

It took him a moment to register that she was actually talking to him.

"Please Harry, just stay for a bit. I'd really like to talk to you about this."

After what seemed like an eternity, he offered the smallest of nods. She reluctantly dropped her hand, and with a steeling breath, made her way out of the room.

Draco watched this quiet exchange with a certain amount of relish. Perhaps he should feel put out, or even jealous. In truth though, he felt nothing but relief and a slight hankering for mischief.

Ginny was now gone and he regarded the sullen man in front of him. Oh, he was going to play with Harry. It was his favourite pastime, and it appeared Harry was in dreadful need of a good ribbing.

"So, how was your visit?"

Harry's eyes snapped up to meet Draco's in a flash of embarrassment.

"We had to discuss a matter of business actually." Harry offered curtly.

"Yes, I could see that. It looked very business like, especially by the door."

Harry searched Draco's face for any sign of upset, anger, or jealousy, but only found light amusement playing across his features. This reaction made no sense.

"Oh Harry, I'm just taking the mickey out of you." Draco sighed as he moved into a chair at Ginny's desk.

"I know you're seeing each other. Are you serious about her?" Harry finally managed tightly.

"As serious as you are about her." Draco answered flippantly, eyeing him closely for a reaction.

Harry did not disappoint. His entire frame seemed to deflate, and his chin dropped slightly toward his chest.

'_He thinks I'm in love with her.'_ Draco silently mused.

Seeing Harry's continued emotional nosedive, Draco amended. "On second thought, perhaps I'm not. I was under the impression you two were just very good friends."

Harry's head snapped up quickly, and he started to ramble. "What? Yes, of course. She's… she''s like my sister, mate."

"Well then, I guess I was mistaken. I guess we do feel the same way about her. I could have sworn though from what I just saw that you were in love with her."

Harry pinned him with a wide-eyed, disbelieving stare. Did Draco just say that out loud?

Without warning, Ginny came flying back into the room looking absolutely unnerved.

Startled by the interruption, Harry called to her. "Gin, what's wrong?"

"There's been an attack… on the hospital grounds…" She offered as she was digging through her satchel.

"What? Who?" Draco joined the fray.

Before Ginny could answer, a sound came from the door. Both men whipped around to find a Healer walking a distraught and shaking Lavender into the room.

"Lavender." Harry called out in concern.

Without thinking, Draco was at her side in a moment shrugging off the assistance of the Healer. He wrapped his arm around her shoulder pressing her tightly to his side, and moved her to a seat on the couch. Kneeling before her, he began to brush her disheveled hair away and wipe at the wetness on her face. All the while, her eyes remained unfocused and lost.

"Shush there love, you're all right. You're safe now." He whispered softly to her.

Her eyes came rushing up to meet his with a startling fury.

"Get the hell away from me you… you murderer. How could you?" she shouted at him as she struggled to get herself away from him to the other end of the couch.

Draco stood quickly, and stared at her with unmistakable mortification and shock.

"Parvati's been assaulted. She was hit with at least eight different curses including _Crucio_. She's barely hanging on." Came Ginny's voice thinly from the other side of the room.

Draco spun around. "What? But I was just with her."

"That's right. You were just with her, you bastard." Lavender quietly seethed as she stood menacingly from the couch.

"What are you saying, Lavender?" Harry asked.

"He was the last one with her, Harry."

"Why in the world would I attack Parvati?" Draco railed.

"That's a very good question." A man's voice cut through.

Everyone turned quickly to find Hermione and Ron standing gobsmacked at the door.

"_You_ were the last one with her. _You _left your cloak there. I'll bet the curses were all dark magic, and who knows dark magic better than _you_?" Lavender spat the last at him viciously.

Draco was speechless. Here stood the woman he was in love with, obsessed over really, hurling the worst accusations imaginable at him.

He looked around to the others for some kind of support or vindication, but found wide blank stares instead. Not one of them came to his defense. Not one of them silenced her of these ridiculous allegations.

The sense of betrayal and abandonment was overwhelming and complete. Little did he know they were all just paralyzed in shock by her accusation.

A mad rush of anger flowed over him, engulfed him in its intensity. In a low growl, he bit back. "That would be kind of hard don't you think without a wand."

Draco gave one more sweeping glare at the others landing finally on Lavender then stormed out. A thick silence pervaded the room instilling those present with a growing sense of shame.

Unable to take the weight of the silence, or the idea of Draco being falsely accused, Hermione spoke first. "It couldn't have been him, Lavender."

"How do you know?" Lavender shot back weakly.

"It couldn't have been him because he's not permitted a wand and…" Ginny said raising her hand to silence Lavender's protests, "and he isn't capable of performing more than half of the curses that were thrown. They were quite complicated and… and they were Ministry developed spells, not dark magic."

"WHAT?" Harry, Ron, and Hermione all blasted at the same time.

Ginny flinched, but nodded her head regardless.

"Oh, bloody hell." Lavender finally sobbed as she grabbed Draco's cloak and burst out of the room.

-----------

A chill ran down his spine as he stared up at the massive tomb of a house across the street. The feeling vaguely reminded him of something Sarah had once told him.

'_It's an oldwives tale. When you shiver like that, it means someone somewhere is passing over your grave.'_

At the time, she went on to call it complete nonsense, but he couldn't help the sense of foreboding now crawling through him.

Feeling drawn to the decrepit building, Draco looked around nervously scoping about for any prying eyes, then cautiously made his way toward the monstrosity. As he came to a stop, he reached up and curled his uncertain hand around the cold iron of the gate.

He knew this place - remembered it vividly. He could recall in detail the intricate carvings on the wood panels that lined the long corridors. Rubbing the thumb and fingers of his other hand together, he could almost capture the actual feel of them from his childhood when he used to drag his fingers along the walls as he made his way down the long darkened hallways.

His eyes scanned the wide face of the neglected home, noting how its blackened windows gave it a lifeless, forlorn appearance. It mirrored his inner life perfectly. Was he seriously considering this? Moving here? It looked like a bloody crypt.

Suddenly, a voice from behind him cut into his thoughts. " This is your home. You have every right to be here."

He wheeled around to find Lucius watching him with an odd kind of sympathy settled in his eyes. The sight was unsettling to Draco because the expression seemed so out of place on his father's face.

"Unless of course, the Ministry has denied you access." Lucius continued.

Draco slowly turned back to the old shell of a memory, and sighed. " No actually, they've returned it to me as a sign of goodwill."

"Then why haven't you moved back?"

"I had a home elsewhere." Draco replied quietly.

"Had?" Lucius inquired softly.

Draco paused for a moment to consider the implications of that question. "Yes… _had_."

Lucius took a measured step forward and gently laid his hand on Draco's shoulder. He instantly cursed himself for moving too quickly and waited for his son's abrupt withdrawal but to his utter amazement, Draco remained perfectly still.

----------

As the moonlight echoed across the wet pavement, Lavender made her way down the darkened street. When a cold slice of wind nipped at her cheeks, she pulled her cloak in tighter around her and marveled at her unbelievable cruelty.

How could she accuse him of trying to kill Parvati? She, of all people, knew how sensitive he was when it came to his past. And to make matters worse, she did it right in front of Hermione.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid." She mumbled to herself.

She'd been everywhere she could think of on her hunt for him. There was one last place that she hadn't tried. She had actually hoped he wouldn't resort to going there.

She was almost nearly at her final destination when suddenly and for no particular reason, an electrifying fear shot through her making her heart hammer frantically in her chest.

She stopped abruptly and glanced over her shoulder. Although there was no one behind her, the street felt eerily charged. She turned back around to continue on her way when a hand closed over her mouth, and everything went black.

**A/N: So sorry for the delay. Life snuck up and bit me in the behind. **

IHeart MCR: And the mysterious hand is back... MWAHAHAHA!!!

ginger28: Hey lady! Thanks. I'll be dropping you a line later.

Salem: Hey you. Nice to see you're posting again. I'm having a horrible time keeping up.

Avanell: I still can't believe you of all people are feeling bad for Lav Lav... lol. No worries, there will be more romance for Ron and Hermione. But things are unraveling at an ever quicken pace.


End file.
